Open Your Heart to Me
by mionemobp
Summary: Draco and Hermione stop hating enough to listen to each other. They become friends, and slowly, they fall in love with each other.


The Slytherin Common Room was too loud for Draco to concentrate. They were all talking about unfair it was that the Gryffindors had won their game again. They expected Draco to join in, but he honestly didn't care anymore. Not this year. Especially since he doubted he would be back again after this year…after he had managed to pull off the task that the Dark Lord had given him.

After a few more minutes of dealing with the loudness of the other Slytherins, Draco got up and walked out of the Common Room, and away from there. He had to get outside, just so he could breathe, and he wouldn't be smothered by them anymore. As he was running down the halls, and up the stairs, he felt like he was running from something. From who he was, and from who his family and friends wanted him to be.

As he was rounding a corner on the ground level, he heard something. A sniffle. Someone was crying? At first he thought it was gross, but then he realized that he had done it, so he couldn't call it gross it anymore. He went to look at the source, and he saw a girl with frizzy hair. Internally he groaned. He wanted the girl to feel better, but he didn't want to help Hermione Granger to feel better. He finally decided to go and talk to her, to try and see what he could do.

…

The Gryffindor team had won, and Hermione was so proud. Ron, her Ron, had helped save them by blocking out the Quaffles. She wasn't happy about what had caused it, but she was happy that he had been able to help. She ran to the men's room, to congratulate them, and then shout at Harry. After she had hugged them both, she turned to Harry, twisting her Gryffindor scarf in her hands, and looking upset but determined.

"I want a word with you, Harry." She said, and took a deep breath. "You shouldn't have done it. You heard Slughorn, it's illegal."

"What are you going to do, turn us in?" demanded Ron.

"What are you two talking about?" asked Harry, turning away to hang up his robes so that neither of them would see him grinning.

"You know perfectly well what we're talking about!" said Hermione shrilly. "You spiked Ron's juice with lucky potion at breakfast! Felix Felicis!"

"No, I didn't," said Harry, turning back to face them both.

"Yes you did, Harry, and that's why everything went right, there were Slytherin players missing and Ron saved everything!"

"I didn't put it in!" said Harry, grinning broadly. He slipped his hand inside his jacket pocket and drew out the tiny bottle that Hermione had seen in his hand that morning. It was full of golden potion and the cork was still tightly sealed with wax. "I wanted Ron to think I'd done it, so I faked it when I knew you were looking." He looked at Ron. "You saved everything because you felt lucky. You did it all yourself."

Ron looked at her, furious with her for not believing in him, before storming up to the Gryffindor Common Room. Harry looked at her, and she started to tear up. She told him to go to the party alone, before leaving the changing room as well, and heading off alone to think. She was sick of being on the edge with Ron, as they seemed to always be at each other's throats. But she decided to apologize for whatever she had done, before heading back to the Gryffindor Common. She had to swallow her pride for once.

But when she arrived in the Gryffindor Common Room, she saw something she didn't want to see. It was Ron…her Ron…making out with someone. She couldn't figure out what was going on. She thought she could apologize and maybe they would go to Slughorn's party together. But now, he was over there with…Lavender? 'Ugh, that cow,' she thought to herself, before turning around to go downstairs and be by herself.

She was by herself for a few minutes, before she felt someone sit next to her. She didn't even look up to see his face, before she turned her head to his chest and started crying. The person, who she assumed was Harry, stroked her hair for a bit before asking, "Hermione…what's wrong?"

Hermione knew that voice. It was softer and kinder than usual, but it was the same voice that had made fun of her for all the past years. She turned to look up at him, tears still in her eyes and on her cheek.

…

"Malfoy?" she asked, shocked.

He was a little hurt. He had used her first name. Not her last name, or her previous nickname. But he didn't show it. If he did, it was only for a moment. "Yeah, it's me."

"You're helping me? A mudblood?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Why?"

"Because I want to…"

"How can I trust that you're not going to make fun of me if I do tell you?"

"I don't know…"

Hermione thought for a moment. If she could get something on him, then he wouldn't be so willing to divulge her info, or she would give his out. "Quid Pro Quo."

"What's that?"

"I tell you something, and you tell me something of equal value. Something that maybe causes pain or discomfort."

He thought for a moment. He didn't want anyone to know what was going on with his life. But he did want to help. And maybe she could help her figure out how to get out of what he had to do. "Fine."

"Ron is making out with another girl. Who isn't me. And it sucks. Because I always thought that he and I might go somewhere, but we're just going to be friends of Harry Potter. I refuse to be friends with him if he doesn't listen to me, and if we're not going to be friends, then it looks like he and I will just have to be…enemies on the same side."

"The Gryffindor bookworm is worrying about a boy? The sky has fallen." Draco laughed, but not in a spiteful way. It was more of a humorous way.

Hermione turned to him and stuck her tongue out at him. "Your turn."

Draco sighed and looked at his hands. He thought of what he wanted to say, before, "I don't want to be a Malfoy, or a Slytherin anymore. I want my parents to actually be supportive parents, instead of my father being pushy, and my mother standing behind him. You know, she misses her sister Andromeda. She also misses the times when Bellatrix wasn't so insane. And all of this is because of Voldemort and his stupid blood purity. I'm sick of people seeing me as evil because I am a Slytherin. Slytherins are sly and cunning, and ambitious, but not evil. I just want it all to end."

Hermione looked at him, not knowing what to say, other than, "I'm so sorry…Draco."

He looked at her, and she looked back at him, neither saying anything. They both now understood that there was more to each other, and that they hadn't seen the full picture of how the other was. Hermione looked away, and started talking about random things, and he joined in. They were random things about classes, and stuff outside school. But either way, it was good to not think about the things they were dealing with, and talk to someone different than normal.

After two hours of just talking, Hermione let out a yawn and chuckled. "Sorry."

"It's fine. I am pretty tired myself. I should get to bed."

"I should too. I will see you around?"

"Perhaps."

He started to walk away when Hermione called his name. "Draco!"

"Yes?"

"I know you probably have no reason to say yes, because well, you probably have better things to do, but I was wondering if you might want to come to Slughorn's Christmas Party with me. It wouldn't have to be a date or anything. It could just be to talk and hang out."

He thought for a moment, before nodding. "Sure."

"Alright, see you later." She turned and walked away, and he started in the opposite direction.

…

The rest of November passed, and Ron and Hermione were still silent towards each other. Hermione and Draco talked on weekends, and they always met in their secret place. Draco always felt worse, as no matter what, he couldn't break out from under his parents. One day, he looked her in the eye and asked her quietly, "Can you keep a secret? From everyone, especially Potter."

She thought for a moment, before she nodded. It wouldn't be hard keeping something to herself, as she didn't really talk to anyone. She hardly even spoke to Harry and Ginny anymore, as they were always hanging out with Ron. And without the loud and obnoxious twins around, she had no one to tell.

"What is it?"

He sighed, before rolling up his left sleeve, revealing his Dark Mark. He wanted her to see what he was, and that he would never deserve her friendship. "I was talked into it, and for some stupid reason, I thought it would be cool. But now it's a stupid reminder that I want to get out of my family and out of the situation."

Hermione didn't say anything for a few minutes. She thought about it, and how she would have reacted last year, but now that she had gotten to know him, she didn't react the same as she would have.

"Draco, listen to me. This isn't a stupid reminder. It's motivation to get out of your situation that you're in. You want to make something of yourself, right? That has nothing to do with your parents, or Voldemort, I mean."

"Of course I do."

"Then this is a motivational tool to help you get there. Because if you hadn't gotten this, you might not be where you are today…wanting to get out."

Draco hugged her tightly, glad she didn't hate him for his mark. He had to tell her about his assignment, so she could help him find a way out of it. He couldn't kill the man. Yes, he was an old crazy man, and he loved Potter more than the other students, but he still couldn't kill him.

"The Dark Mark isn't the worst part of it though, Hermione."

"What is then?"

"My assignment. He asked me to…to…"

"You can tell me. I won't tell anyone."

"He asked me to murder Dumbledore."

"What? Are you going to?"

"No, of course not. The only way he can get me to do that is put me under the Imperius Curse."

"Draco, we have to find out a way to get you out of this."

"You want to help me?"

"Yes, I want to. I want to be your…friend."

Draco smirked. "Was that hesitation? And blush? Aww, does Hermione have a crush on me?"

"Hahahahaha, no, after the last one I had on anyone, it will be a while."

Draco put his arm around her shoulder and she rested her head on him.

"Draco…how good of an Occlumens, are you?"

"I am okay."

"You should ask Snape to help. I bet he'd be willing."

"Snape knows Occlumency? How do you know?"

"Harry's remedial potions? Those were Occlumency lessons…he needed them last year…" and she went on to explain what happened, while Draco listened intently. He thought about it, and thought that he could perhaps manage to ask him, and get out of killing Dumbledore.

Hermione got up to go, and Draco looked up at her, with wide eyes. "What's wrong?"

"It's almost one in the morning, and I am tired Draco. I need sleep."

"Oh, right. Next week is the party, right?"

"Yes."

"What time does it start at?"

"Six, for dinner, and Slughorn wants the guests to stay there for dancing. So we'll be there for a few hours at the very least."

"That's fine. I guess I'll see you then."

She walked over to him and hugged him tight. "See you then, Draco."

They parted for the night, and Hermione was trying to get to the Gryffindor Common Room as soon as she could, so she could climb into bed, and think about what she had heard tonight. The fact that he was willing to open up to her made her think about her feelings towards him. She thought she was just friends with him, but that hug hadn't just been a friend hug. That hug had been a "I want to kiss you, but I will refrain for now" hug.

She thought of how he looked when he was laughing, and his smile, whether his teasing smile or his regular happy smile, and it made her melt. Not only that, but his eyes, his grey eyes, were so warm now. They were no longer mean or hateful to her. She knew then that she liked him, but not how to execute her feelings to him. She decided that he would never like her, and tried to forget about it.

…

Draco rolled over in his bed, having a nightmare. It looked real to him. His mother was there, and his father was out of Azkaban. Hermione was there too, and she was looking at him with her pleading brown eyes, begging him to let her free. Voldemort came into the room and made his father torture her. He screamed, and yelled, trying to get his father to stop. It got too much for him, and he turned away from the scene, though he could see a flash of green behind him. He walked over to her dead body, crying and screaming…

"Draco, wake up. Wake…up!"

He sat up, shaking and sweating.

"Good Lord. You were screaming like a mad man. But it's morning now. So go to class. You'll be late for Defense Against the Dark Arts if you don't hurry."

"Thanks, Blaise."

"Uh huh."

That dream woke up something inside him. He knew then that he had to see Hermione and tell her how he felt before the party that weekend, even if people saw them together. He went to his DADA class, and tried to ignore Hermione all lesson. He couldn't kiss her here, during class, or they would both get in trouble for interrupting Snape's lesson, so he waited until the bell for lunch rang, and let her go early, so he could stay back and talk to Snape.

"Yes, Draco?"

"Sir, I was wondering if you might be willing to give me Occlumency lessons."

"How did you know?"

"I overheard Potter talking about it to his friends."

"Alright. Well, come here on Mondays. And make sure your mind is clear of all emotions and thoughts."

"Yes, sir."

He hurried up to lunch, so he could find Hermione. He ran up behind her.

"Hermione?"

"Draco?"

"I need to tell you something."

Hermione got up and looked up at him. "What is it?"

Draco pulled her towards him, and she looked up at him before he put his lips on hers. She moved her arms to be around his neck.

He pulled away and said, "Hermione, these past few weeks, I have seen a funnier, cuter, and more relaxed side of you. I have seen a girl who is not only sure of herself, but the girl who sometimes doubts herself in some aspects. And I have seen a girl who is smart about everything, and who overachieves in many ways. And I have seen a girl who has a lot to offer the world. And I am in love with the girl that I have gotten to see."

"You're…in love with me?" That was all she could say. All she could think was that Draco loved her. Draco, now her Draco, loved her.

"Yes. I am in love with you, and I have never loved another girl…not even Pansy…especially not Pansy."

"Draco. I love you too. I love that you could trust me so easily, and that you aren't afraid to be yourself. And that I have gotten to see your nice side. Plus, your body is nice to look at."

"Oh really? Well, you have a nice butt."

She giggled, before realizing that everyone was staring at her, so she blushed, and grabbed Draco's hand, running out of the hall. He followed her, knowing that he would follow her wherever she decided to go in the future. He loved her that much.


End file.
